Some money-saving ideas stand the test of time

So, I was garbage picking at work last week when I came across a book called “The Encyclopedia of Household Hints and Dollar Stretchers,” by Michael Gore. Published in 1957, it has only gotten better with age – if only for its delightfully musty, old-book scent.

In addition to painstaking instructions on how to make a cup of tea and how to fill out a check, it includes “all the shortcuts and wife-savers that take the ache out of housecleaning, laundering, meal preparation, household maintenance, as well as the care and feeding of babies, husbands and the furnace.”

Sure, some of the language and notions are outdated (there’s an entire section called “How to Please Men”), but that’s half the fun. And what’s really striking is how little most of these time and money savers have changed over the past six decades. Here are a few that still hold up.

Use bluing for whiter whites. To keep whites from turning dingy or yellow, add bluing solution. You can get two 8-ounce bottles of Mrs. Stewart’s Concentrated Liquid Bluing, which has been around since 1883, on Amazon.com for $ 9.99. Be sure to follow the instructions.

Maximize a small wardrobe. Choose clothes in colors and styles that can easily be mixed and matched. Better yet, a “variety of removable dickies and scarfs will do wonders.”

What it costs to live for a month in Beijing, ChinaNews from Business Insider:

Richelle / Life Part 2Richelle, who lives in Beijing.

China is definitely significantly cheaper than a lot of western countries. But how cheap is cheap? Beijing is one of my favorite cities in China, but is also one of the most expensive places to live in this vast country.

Whether you’re about to move to China, or are curious about the possibility, here is a step-by-step breakdown of what it costs to live in Beijing for one month.

The first and most obvious cost is housing. While this can vary greatly depending on the location and type of accommodation, you should expect to pay between $ 1,500 USD and $ 1,800 USD for a nice one-bedroom apartment or hutong house in a good area. If this seems expensive, there are definitely much cheaper options. I paid about $ 370 USD per month for a bedroom in an apartment with no living room and three random roommates.

While the housing in Beijing is expensive compared to other cities in China, public transportation is extremely cheap. The subway is $ .50 USD anywhere you want to go in the city. The bus is even cheaper, at about $ .05 with a bus card ($ …………… continues on Business Insider